This article was produced by National Geographic Traveller (UK).
Australia is home to a myriad opportunities for some truly unique outdoor adventures, from light shows over the red rock of Uluru to sailing trips around the pristine Whitsunday Islands and easy bike rides through the wine regions around Canberra, the capital city.
1. Wander through fields of lights at Uluru
Uluru has always been a drawcard for visitors, but in the past decade this Northern Territory area has undergone an artistic transformation. Collaborations between light artists and Aboriginal Anangu creatives have seen the desert turned into a luminous canvas featuring colour-shifting fields of light, Anangu stories etched into the sky using thousands of drones and, since August, an immersive sunrise show, with a breakfast using native ingredients afterwards.
2. Sail the Whitsundays
Hoist the sails on your own maritime adventure as you skipper a power boat, catamaran or yacht to explore the Whitsunday Islands, off the northeastern coast. This type of DIY sailing experience is known as bareboating — no qualifications are needed and after a safety briefing you and your crew are free to chart your own course for the week. While away the days navigating the coves, inlets and bays of the region’s 74 islands, stopping to snorkel on reefs, hike across uninhabited islands or lay down a towel on white-sand beaches.
3. Study sharks on Lord Howe Island
Despite what its name suggests, the Galapagos shark can be found in temperate waters around the world and is particularly fond of isolated islands like Lord Howe. This tiny volcanic landmass in the Tasman Sea, off the New South Wales coast, only permits 400 visitors at a time. Little is known about the shark’s movements, which is why scientists are recruiting the island’s guests to help gather photographic data as part of a snorkelling citizen science project. Under the supervision of a trained instructor, slip into the island’s warm waters and enjoy the experience of up to 50 of these curious creatures gracefully circling you.
4. Cycle Canberra’s wine regions
Canberra’s first vines were planted in the 1840s but local viticulture stagnated until the 1970s, when enterprising scientists revived the capital’s vineyards. The capital now has three cool-climate wine regions: Bungendore, Hall and Murrumbateman, specialising in Riesling and Shiraz. Murrumbateman recently welcomed a purpose-built 8.5-mile cycling path connecting eight of the region’s esteemed cellar doors. Starting from Murrumbateman Village, hop on an e-bike and pedal past farmlands and vineyards, stopping for guided tastings at family-run wineries. Canberra Wine Region E-Bike Tours can pimp your ride with grazing platters, speakers and picnic kits.
5. Drive the epic Gibb River Road
The 410-mile Gibb River Road winds its way through Western Australia’s spectacular Kimberley region, a rugged wilderness in the far north of Australia nearly as big as Germany, studded with ochre gorges, waterfalls spilling into quiet swimming holes and historic cattle station stays. Driving along unsealed and corrugated roads, allow two weeks to fully enjoy the road trip from Derby to Kununurra, including pit stops to see Aboriginal rock art or take a guided cruise in search of crocodiles.
The best time to undertake the drive is from June to October, when it’s dry and warm; operators like Kimberley Safari Tours and Adventure Wild offer guided tours in 4WD vehicles.
6. Fly over Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre
Australia’s largest salt lake is a 385sq-mile pocket of glittering crystals tucked into South Australia’s Flinders Ranges. Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre is dry much of the time (sometimes for years) but when it floods, it explodes with colour and sound, as thousands of waterbirds arrive from as far away as Japan and China to breed on the salty shores. As the water evaporates, microalgae release a pink pigment that gives the lake its signature hue. The best way to appreciate the scale and drama of the lake is from the air with Wrightsair, which runs charter flights from Wilpena Pound and Coober Pedy.
7. Chase the aurora in Tasmania
Often eclipsed by its flashier sibling further north, the Southern Lights — also known as the Aurora Australis — are visible year-round throughout most of Tasmania, off the southern Australian coast. As with the Northern Lights, the best time to see them is in winter and the further south the better, in places like Hobart, Port Arthur and Bruny Island. Scientist Dr Lisa Gershwin runs guided tours in search of the Southern Lights and other glowing phenomena, like ‘ghost mushrooms’, bioluminescent beaches and marsupials that glow under UV light.
8. Ride the high country in Victoria
In the mid-19th century, Victoria’s mountainous high country was a haven for escaped convicts and bushrangers evading the law, including notorious gang leader and folk hero Ned Kelly. The outlaws may be long gone, but their legends still inspire stories around the campfire among hikers, bikers and horse riders, usually while camping beside historic cattlemen’s huts. Spring Spur is a family-run working horse farm that offers half-, full- and multi-day rides, including epic packhorse expeditions through Alpine National Park, where you can sleep out in a swag beneath the Milky Way.
Published in the November 2024 issue of National Geographic Traveller (UK).
To subscribe to National Geographic Traveller (UK) magazine click here. (Available in select countries only).
